A Risky Proposition

Being honest is risky.

I'm always inspired by what occurs in life, relationships, choices and interactions with other individuals and how it directly relates to business. I am forever asking "why" and "how come" and weighing the "if this is so, then that must be so." You know, thinking all up in my head.

We all do it. We all try to logically set up scenarios, make predictions and calculate outcomes. It's called return on investment or ROI. In marketing you are always calculating your ROI.

In life you, we, I, they…are always calculating the return on investment. How much have we invested and how much do we expect to get out of it?

I've decided to throw that idea out the window. Yep, I'm officially tossing out the whole concept of ROI. There's no time like the present, right?

Now, let's me and you meander on down the lane to see what it would look like…

Here's the scenario. 

What if our lives and our businesses were run from the heart rather than the head? What if, we were in the flow of what doing what we love? Would ROI really matter? If we love what we do and extend that to others and everyone involved in whatever transactions were taking place wouldn't all parties involved be warm, well-fed and happy?

What if honesty was mandatory in your company set up? Well, first off you'd have to be honest with yourself about what, exactly you wanted, not only in business but in life then you'd have to extend that grace to others, give them that space to be honest. At first, it would shake things up a bit - truth is very often hard to hear and say especially when, as is the case in our society, little white lies are the norm. But if honesty were a valued trait, it would clear up a lot of misunderstandings and expectations. I believe it would, in the end lead to happier employees, happier customers, happier work/life in general

The problem is the risk part. What is it that you have to give up to be able to run your business in that manner. Really, down deep, what is it you have to give up? The risk is that your relationships will change throughout your life, not only in business but with the prominent people in your life. 

Stick with me, here, for just a sec…

But what if that change, taking that risk, led to more open communication? What if the fall out from being honest and leading with your heart rather than your head resulted in a clearer vision of the future and what you could accomplish? What if it actually moved people out who no longer served that same vision and brought in people who actually were on the same page?

It's a bit of a radical approach - some would even say idealistic. I agree to both. But even more than that, I agree that it can absolutely positively be done. It does, however, take courage and strength and the faith that when you step out, you won't fall.

That's my scenario. That's how I choose to run things in our little shop. I'll let you know how it all turns out. After all this is one big internet science experiment and the whole point is to share what works and what doesn't.

On a personal note, I had a bit of truth telling yesterday and it gave me a jolt. It was a stark reminder about how people operate, how we get our signals crossed and where the little white lies creep in - lies we tell ourselves and to one another. I want to say thanks to my inspiration. It wasn't fun but it will all be for the better, or at least at some point we will both look back and recognize that yeah, it really was about something bigger than we'd imagined and it's all for the best. And yes, it's Friday so I can write what I want AND it's my blog so I can throw a bunch of stuff out there if I am moved to do so - LOL

As always, if you have thoughts, feel free to share!